Circle skirt calculator – for the drafting of full, half and 3/4 skirts. With bonus grading worksheet!

Special Sunday greetings you naked molerats! Since you’re so naked, I thought you might want to make yourselves some nice little circle skirts. And perhaps, like me, you find yourself with little mole rat patterns just a touch on the small side. But the grading of a circle skirt isn’t so easy, is it you naked rodents? Oh no, not so easy at all… OK. Recently I’ve been plotting about two separate circle-skirt related issues in my head. For molerats who are unfamiliar with circle skirts, here’s the difference between the three styles. For a much more interesting comparison, here’s a full circle skirt. {image Whirling Turban} Here’s the oh, so lovely three-quarter circle skirt. And a slightly pixelated half circle skirt… {image Get Go Retro} The other circle-skirt related problem I’ve been mulling over has to do with grading up circle skirts. OK, I admit I usually grade up my circle skirts the ‘wrong’ way. My problem is (hopefully) solved! Okee dokee. Whew! OK! There we have it!

Making Your Own Pattern: a tutorial Patterns aren't cheap. Seriously, I was browsing through through the look books at Hobby Lobby the other day and some of them were as much as $20. Tack that on to the price of fabric and other supplies and suddenly sewing your own clothing becomes very expensive. Thankfully, you can make your own patterns using your own clothing that you know to fit well. I used Scotch Postal Wrapping Paper as my pattern paper. I used paper because I like to lay my pattern piece down and trace the shape directly onto my fabric. Muslin fabric is another great material that would allow you to pin the pattern piece to your fabric. Lay your garment down on the paper and determine the middle of the top. Mark right above the collar and right below the hem. Draw a rough outline of one half of the top. When you get to the sleeve, do your best to fold it back so that you just see the armhole. This first pattern piece I'm working on will serve as the back of the pattern. Now for the sleeves. *Update*

10 Free Tote Bag Patterns and Tutorials Totes make great handmade gifts. Here is a Tuesday Ten that shows a round-up of lovely totes. If you love to sew you might also like these free sewing tutorials right here on Skip to my Lou! Every tote needs a matching pouch. Pleated Zippered Pouch Lined Zippered Pouch 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. tutorial: how to sew a simple maxi dress The Plan. Fabric. You will be making a maxi dress so buy fabric accordingly. Preparation and Cutting. Sewing. Don’t forget the banana. Instructions for making the rosettes are HERE. Circle Knit Shirt Tutorial Post by Raechel of www.raechelmyers.com So. I have a favorite shirt. I’ll be honest, it’s probably my favorite because it’s the most comfortable shirt I own, AND my husband bought it for me and he thinks I look cute in it. Anyway, I wear it with a long tank top, leggings and either boots or black Toms, depending on the weather. So, I worked this week on developing a 2T-sized version of my shirt. What you’ll need: The fabric piece I used was knit (you want a drapey fabric), and was 20″ wide and 34″ long. Also, you’ll need a sewing machine. Get your fabric piece laid out on your cutting board, folded on the top so it looks 21″x17″. There. (That’s a fold on the top – you want your rectangle intact!) This might be a good time to tell you how to measure for a size other than 2T… How to measure for your own sizing: Width: Arms straight out, you want the sleeves to fall just on the hand-side of your elbow. Okay, on to the task at hand: Mark the center point of the top of your fold. So close!

how to transfer a photo to fabric Did you know you can transfer photos to fabric without using iron-on sheets? I love this technique. It's simple to execute and the end results are really pretty. It's another method for hand printing! I made some fabrics the other day and used them to add pockets to one of my wool skirts. Supplies Needed: Fabric (I used white quilting cotton), Gel Medium (I used this kind from Liquidex), Paint Brush and the image you want to transfer. How to transfer a photo to fabric: 1. Note: Don't be alarmed if your transfer isn't completely perfect. Well there you go! The Promised Skirt Hemming Tutorial Step 1. Choose a good skirt to work with. This particular technique works best with wool-like skirts. If this is your first time for hemming a skirt, look for one that is unlined and straighter vs. fuller. The less material, the easier it will be to work with. Step 2. Step 3. Step 4. Step 5. Step 6. Step 7. Step 8. Step 9. Step 10. Step 11. Your final folding should look like this. Step 12. The key to getting a good blind hem is to barely catch the edge of the folded fabric. Step 13. All right, that's it. Edit: If you hem a skirt using this tutorial, be sure to let me know.

Free Apron Patterns From now through December I want to set aside Tuesdays to share some wonderful ideas to make our holidays brighter. From homemade gifts to yummy recipes the web is overflowing with great ideas. Each Tuesday I will showcase 10 links I love (I hope you don’t mind if I throw in a few of my own when appropriate). Welcome to Tuesday 10! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. An apron packaged with something yummy from your kitchen or a set of recipe cards makes a great gift. Free Recipe Card Maker If you are looking for more homemade gift ideas you might like searching the Skip to my Lou Handmade Gift Guide! Enjoy!

Make a t-shirt headband Of all the headbands I've made, I think this is my new favorite. It's like wearing sweats on your head, without the dumpy look. It's so cushy and comfortable! And yes, I am wearing the shirt with the bottom cut off in the picture. Scrounge around for an old t-shirt. Fold in half lengthwise and pin in place. Fold the headband right side out. Make a flower or two and hand stitch it over the seam. The Real Deal: It cost me pretty much nothing. Old Hollywood Glamour ~ Lace Halter Bustier DIY * Black Bustier* Black Lace* Black Satin Ribbon * Needle/Thread/Scissors * Line your lace up with your bustier cups… make sure the pretty edge of the lace in on the outside closest to your arms. Decide how much lace you need by measuring or just eyeballing it and make sure to leave a little extra so the panels can overlap in the center. * Cut two pieces of lace at least 12″ long to be safe. One for each side. * Flip your bustier inside out. * Carefully hand-stitch the lace to the inside of your bustier cup, right below the seamed edge… or about 1/4″ down. * It should look something like this lying flat. * Try your garment on. * Readjust your lace to make sure it’s crossed over neatly and with your needle and thread carefully hand-stitch the edges of your ribbon to your lace. * Trim off the extra lace at the top… this is a personal decision. * Stitch your two panels together only at the center, not all the way up {though I suppose you can if you wish} * Trim the excess lace in the cups